#biggywigs - 7 Months

#biggywigs  | 7 MONTHS

nicknames | monkey, baby

weight |  Using the 'at home method' you're 24 pounds and 27 3/4" tall

loves | Your brother.  Sitting up, your jump-a-roo, anything you can chew, and baths!

dislikes | Being tired or hungry.

size | One BIG BOY.  Size 5 diapers (you still wear size 4 every now and again if I find a rouge diaper)  Clothes are 18 to 24 months.  You have some massive thighs that I cannot stop squishing. 

sleep |  R.O.U.G.H.  I believe you are teething again, because the only thing that will you put back to sleep at night is nursing.  Otherwise your bedtime is 7, wake at 11 to nurse, 3 to nurse and up for the day around 6 or so.  You take 3-4 naps a day.  Mid morning, post lunch, and again pre dinner.

eats | We are slow to introduce new foods to you.  Sorry kiddo, that's the bum of being kid #2.  So far you've had Yams/Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Squash, and Banana.  You LOVE Yams.  Tonight you'll be introduced to Peas and later this week will be Apples.  Next week is Green Beans and then Pears.
Your nursing schedule is 7AM, 11AM, bottle at 3, 7PM, 11PM, and 3AM

firsts |  Thanksgiving!  Unfortunately you were sick, so that was a first too.  Boo.  You no longer hate rolling over and pop yourself onto your tummy whenever you're on your back.

Momma | Oh man, kid.  I LOVE YOU.  You are such a mama's boy and such a snuggler.  We are going to sleep train you this week (and probably part of next) because you take up SO much room in our bed.  We all need you to sleep through that 11PM feeding.  That dang cold really ruined us.

You give the very best hugs and have the best belly laugh.  I just can't wait to see you on Christmas morning!

Second children are so interesting.  I'm delaying starting anything new with you because you're my last baby and I want to savor your baby-ness as long a possible.  All while, I'm hoping you could just be walking/talking/playing with your brother already.

Daddy |  I love seeing how animated you get whenever your brother comes around you.  watching the two of your “wrestle” on the bed makes my day.   I love how you light up when I get home from work and we make eye contact.  The hardest part of my day is dropping you off, but it was the same way for your big brother and now he runs to his class and is already at play when I get in to his room to say “goodbye”   and soon, you will be the same.   You are growing so much and mommy has had to go up to 24 months clothes.  You currently have two beautiful, sharp teeth that come out when you give a big grin.  I love you so much and I love hearing the sounds you make when you sleep.  I love you son!

ThredUP - NEW BOXES!

So I may be TOTALLY late to the party on this one - but guys, GUYS, ThredUP is doing Goody Boxes!

Right now, for $10

YES 10 DOLLARS

You can get a box of your favorites, or even one curated for your specific request (9-5, personal style, etc)

Merry Christmas Gift to yourself.

Easy Button

I'll be honest.  I had low expectations for the Holiday Season this year.
Navigating the holidays for the first time with two kids?  I gave myself a pass and didn't hold myself to my usual standard.

Somehow, this ended up working MAJORLY in my favor.

1.
Christmas Cards?
Done.  Mailed the Monday after Thanksgiving.  Thank you Groupon and Staples!
They were ready the same day I ordered them.

100 cards for $25.  Double sided, thick card stock, and envelopes are included.
#wiggydiggy had a blast helping me put stamps and address labels on the cards.  Win win!

P.S.  Earned 6% cash back from Ebates too

2.
Christmas Presents?
Justin and I keep a Wish List for the boys on Amazon.  This is more our personal shopping list to show each other things we like and to remind me to pick up items from Wal-Mart or Target.
(Socks anyone?)

So I went out and cleaned up the list some and emailed it to the Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles.
Easy.

We also shopped for the boys gifts from there - it keeps track of purchased items and if someone tells me they picked up an item elsewhere, I mark it bought!

God bless Prime because Christmas shopping was done before December 1st.

P.S.  This also works great for husbands ;)
I put together a quick list for myself and sent it over to Justin.  He's one smart cookie so he price shopped, but the list was easy to reference and he didn't have to ask me 10 times what I want for Christmas.

3.
Decorations?
Pre-lit Christmas tree with no ornaments.

I'm not kidding.

Both boys love the lights and both are more interested in the train that goes around the bottom.  Neither notice the lack or ornaments and frankly, neither do Justin or myself.

As a matter of fact, we probably put out 1/4 of our usual decorations and I truly think the house looks prettier.  It's probably because of the new floors....

4.
Pre-Gift Purge

I decided after #wiggydiggy's birthday party that I needed to do a quick (and very necessary) purge of toys and clothes.

While the boys napped, I quickly went through the toy box and toy bins and tossed everything that was broken and reorganized.
Then I hit up all of our closets.  An hour later I had one trash bag full, one donate bag full and one box ready to mail to Thred Up.  Now I'm ready for the on-onslaught of new toys and gifts.


5.
Holiday Spirit

Thank you Echo for playing Christmas Music 24/7 in every room of our house.

I have 0 stress this holiday season.  Everything is done and it's only one week into December!
I think we should all hit the Easy Button every year.

Gift List

I always feel weird sharing our Christmas Wish Lists.
While at the same time I love seeing what other's have on their lists - it gives me great ideas!
C'est la vie

The Boys

#biggywigs list is all Melissa and Doug toys, BabyLit Books, Baby University Books, and Baby Loves Science Books

Santa is bringing him his Pottery Barn Anywhere chair.  I can't wait!!

#wiggydiggy has some Melissa and Doug toys also, Berenstain Bears Books, Science Books, and the ever popular Playmags (aka cheaper Magnatiles)

His stocking will be stuffed with Matchbox cars :)

Justin

I had an Apple Watch on my list, so when he bought mine, he bought himself one too.  So that's one gift down!  I found him a nice leather band to go with his watch as well.

He doesn't have a list, so I have fun picking a theme for him each year.  This year, it's coffee.

I found the Ninja Coffee Bar on a great deal, so bye bye Keurig!

A Yeti Tumbler will be in his stocking along with a bag of coffee.

He went and bought himself a new table saw and ...... another saw of some kind.

He claims they are Christmas presents.  So yay!

(a few other items I can't mention.  He occasionally reads here.)

My List

Apple Watch

Yeti Tumbler in white

(and yes, I bought this for myself)

Convection Oven

New pair of Heels (I wear these multiple times a week)

Earrings

Watch Band

Pajamas

Derma Roller

And reusable straws (which I also purchased myself to stick in my stocking!  Haha)

I am so excited for Christmas this year!

#wiggydiggy - 4 years old

Happy 4th birthday Buggy!!  We LOVE you!

 You're 35.6 pounds and 3 feet 3 inches tall.

You're funny, loving, and very thoughtful.

Your vocabulary is off the charts.  You've started showing an interest in reading, so we are currently working on sight words.  You also are showing a lot of interest in basic math.

Interview with a 4 year old

Favorites:
Color - Black
Food - Applesauce
Animal - Dinosaurs
Sport - Tennis
Book - Berenstain Bears Halloween
Song - Twinkle Twinkle Traffic Light
Vegetable - Green Beans (this is a lie.  You don't like vegetables!)
Fruit - Oranges
Thing to do with Mom - Projects
Thing to do with Dad - Play Football
Thing to do with #biggywigs - Play with stuffed animals
Toy - Race Car from Uncle Josh and Matchbox Police Car
Activity at School - Paint
Treat - Pink Bubblegum and M&M's

What do you want to be when you grow up - Policeman
Best Friend - Kolby
What makes you Happy - Smiley Faces!

Some of Mom's favorite memories:

You say Snow Pile for Snow Plow.
You point out every decoration for the holidays.  So every house we drive by 'Christmas Lights!' 'Christmas Decorations!' 'American Flag!' 'Halloween Decorations!'
You love to know the sequence of the day and week.  You are very quick to point out if we aren't on schedule.
You still love to rub ears.  You've been rubbing your ear from the moment you were born and when you are upset you like to rub my ear to feel better.  I'm going to miss it when you grow up.
You're my very favorite #wiggydiggy.  There is no one like you.

#biggywigs - 6 Months

#biggywigs | 6 MONTHS

nicknames | Monkey, Chunky Monkey, Love Monkey, Baby

weight |  23 pounds (!!!!) and 27 1/2 inches long.

size | Size 4 diapers all the way.  You are STILL in 18 month clothes.  Hallelujah!  This is the longest stretch where you stayed in the same size.  I can tell you are thinning out/lengthening, because your arms and legs don't need to be rolled up as much anymore.  And your belly isn't quite as round.  I have a feeling you'll be in 24 month clothes after the New Year.  

sleep |  Oh buddy.  This month started out great.  Then you got your first cold while teething.  Woof.  This past week you would wake every two hours due to congestion or teeth pain.  I’ll be so glad to have this behind us! 

eats | Right after you turned 5 months old I made some puree’s.  You started with yams.  Next up was carrots and then squash.  You love squash!  You still aren’t a big fan of spoons, so I’m not really pushing it.  You love to nurse and still 100% breastmilk.

loves | Your jumperoo and exersaucer.  Your favorite toys are your Octopus rattle and snail.  You love to sit up and watch your brother (he’s your favorite).

dislikes | Waiting to eat.  Being overtired and tummy time.  I, of course, make you do tummy time at least three times a day.  I’m hoping your frustration will encourage you to crawl sooner rather than later! 

firsts |  Halloween!  First overnight trip to Missoula (I think it was your first hotel stay?) first cold and first teeth!  Those two bottoms one are so dang cute.  Now those two top teeth better get in ASAP.

Momma | Happy Half Birthday!!  Time is just flying by and I can't wait to experience your first Christmas with you :)   You are so happy and so snuggly and so Loud!  You really can keep up with #wiggydiggy in the noise department ;)   I love you so much Monkey.  

Daddy | You are such a happy little boy who loves his big brother.  Every time you see him your face lights up.  You are starting to come around to daddy.  When I see you, you light up and you make my heart so happy.  I love snuggling with you and giving you Ugga Mugga nose kisses.  I love your laugh.  Currently your little teeth are starting to pop through your gums which is painful I know so you aren’t feeling great or sleeping great and you have a little cough, but I think its due to the teething, but this will pass and soon you will be back to your happy self.  Your mom and I and brother love you so much.  Your brother loves climbing up in the bed every morning or really any chance he can to snuggle with you and kiss your head.  You are growing so fast and you have started eating real food.  Where did the time go.  I love you so much son!

How We Make Mealtime Work

In our house, we have a few mealtime rules.

1.
We eat dinner as a family.

There are a few exceptions - event night*, date night, or one parent is working late.
*Event night is either swim class or gymnastics and #wiggydiggy eats a 'sack' dinner:
peanut butter and jelly, applesauce, Baby-bel, Goldfish, etc.

If one parent is working late, the rest of us eat together.

2.
I am not a short order cook.

We meal plan two weeks out to cut down on grocery runs and utilize more leftovers.  With that being said, it is very rare that a meal I make for Justin and myself won't be eaten by #wiggydiggy.  (think super spicy or ethnic food)  Those nights I often make chicken nuggets or fish sticks as his entree but he eats our sides.  I do put a bit of our main dish on his plate for him to try.

3.
You must eat two bites of vegetables to be excused.

This rule came about due to my lack of appetite during pregnancy.  Veggies weren't offered often so a "dislike" suddenly showed up at dinner time.  Once #wiggydiggy turns four, he will have to eat three bites of vegetables.  When he moves up to a new class at school, it'll be five bites.
Only took him one week of throwing a fit and now he eats those bites so fast!  I know adding one more won't be a struggle.

4.
We say Grace and we clear our plates.

By clear our plates - I mean to move it from the table to the sink.  This is an expectation at school so we reinforce it at home.

5.
You don't have to like it, but you do have to try it

Once we put our expectations into place, the dinnertime battle stopped.  #wiggydiggy knows that he cannot say "That's gross"or "Yucky" to food I've made.  Those comments cost him a reward coin.

Also...

Bribery

Dessert is the biggest motivator to eat well and behave at the dinner table.
(Dessert is a small bowl with 10 or so M&M's)

(We also don't use our phones during dinner, so I don't have any meal photos!  haha)

Beauty stock up!

Currently on flash sale on Amazon!

I LOVE this stuff.  I have seen a noticeable difference in my skin.  Highly recommend!

Friday Five - Favs, On Sale!

Target is having their Pre Black Friday Sale, and some of my favorite items are on sale!

(P.S.  There's nothing in this for me, other than sharing my favorite things.)

1.

Roomba

I seriously cannot explain how much I love my robot vacuum.

When I was researching, I purposely looked for one that would work on carpets AND hardwood/laminate.  The wifi capability and Alexa capability are big pluses.

I love the Roomba 690.  #wiggydiggy has named her Ruby and she's my favorite electronic.  She starts her job every day at 9AM and vacuums the whole house 5 days a week.  Well, minus the sunken living room.  That just leave me to spot clean (the rug edges catch debris occasionally) on the weekend with my Dyson stick vacuum.

2.
Hand Towels

I love white hand towels.  However, their lifespan isn't terribly long with my two boys.  I love to find white towels on great deal to freshen up my stash.  These fit the bill!  (They also handle being washed in bleach often.  Always a bonus)

3.
Diapers

Target is having their spend $75 get a $15 gift card deal. Always a nice time to load up on some diapers :)

4.
Kitchen Aid Stand Mixers

This is the time of year where mine is used weekly.

5.
Not a Target item - but one of my all time Loves
STARBUCKS HOLIDAY IS BACK!

And today you can get a red reusable cup for the season.

Happy Halloween

From my Chunky Monkey and Batman, to yours.

Hope your Halloween was a great one!

Batman went trick or treating for the first time and had a BLAST.  However, he had way more fun handing out candy to all of the trick or treaters that came to our house.
When we were running out of candy, he grabbed his pumpkin full of goodies and dumped it into our bowl.  What a sweetheart.

Five on Friday - End of October

This week has flown by.  I've been under the weather with a mild cold and I took the day off yesterday to get some rest.  Coughing all night plus nursing a baby equals major lack of sleep.

Of course, once the cold meds kicked in I decided to get a jump start on my cleaning for the weekend :)  My big weekend plans are sweat pants, coffee, blankets, and at least one nap.  What do you have planned?

Here are some of my favorite cozy items for a chilly day:

1.

Slippers

I have a pair from Lands End, but I am so hard on my slippers I need a new pair every year.  While I love the ones I have, I have my eye on these:

2.
Flannel Pajamas

I used to love the Dreamer Flannel PJ's from Victoria's Secret, but they've changed.  Now they're "The Flannel" ?  I'm not sure if they're the same.

The Dreamer's were perfect.  Lightweight flannel, fun prints, and come in long lengths :)

3.
Extra Tall Ceramic Mugs

I think my superpower is that I never have to reheat my coffee.

 Those who truly know me are not surprised at all that
1. They are white
2. There's no design

Hello, I'm Laura and I'm boring.
Haha.

4.
Knit Throw Blankets
I'm a sucker for a sweater/knit blanket.

5.

Crockpot Meals

This weekend I'm making Chili, Buffalo Chicken Dip, and Baked Potato Soup.

Happy Halloween weekend!

A Hair Affair

There's been a lice breakout at #wiggydiggy's school.

AGAIN.

This is the second one this month.  UGH.

By breakout, I mean more than one child has been sent home with confirmed lice.

The first breakout included FOUR CLASSROOMS.  FOUR!  This breakout is just #wiggydiggy's class and the adjoining class (they share a great room).

So......

I'm terrified of lice.

We've been checking him after his bath every night and school has been checking every morning and so far, we've been in the clear.  However, I knew that on Monday, he played with, wrestled, and hugged the child who was sent home on Tuesday.

So we shaved his head.

I'd rather be sad over his bald head for a few weeks instead of treating lice!

He LOVES his haircut (because he looks like Daddy) and was so excited to show it off at school today.

I'm going to miss his thick head of hair and his super cute haircut for a little while.

Rug Update

Living Room 

Dining Room/Entry Way/Runner

Family Room

Kitchen Nook

Pantry/Laundry Runner

For the rugs from RugsUSA, I purchased the rug pads from them.  Other rug pads are from Amazon.

All photos taken on my (dying) iphone.  Man the quality is poop these days.